U.S. to cooperate with Cuba on marine sanctuary

Oct 09, 2015 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently announced a United States’ collaboration with Cuba to create a protected marine area in the Caribbean. While addressing the second annual “Our Ocean” conference, Secretary Kerry said:

“We are working to finalize now a new sister marine protected area arrangement with Cuba in order to protect its sites so our two countries so we can collaborate on scientific research, education and sound management. We met in New York with President Castro, I met again with my counterpart, and we have agreed to meet again in Cuba in January or February when we will continue this march towards normalization but, importantly, cooperation on the oceans as well.”

Kerry also told delegates that the U.S. was working to create two new national marine sanctuaries to help tackle illegal fishing and marine damage.

As President Obama announced earlier, we are creating two new national marine sanctuaries in the United States-one off the coast of Maryland and one in Wisconsin along the Great Lakes. But we also have plans in the works, which we are pursuing, for still another significant one in the Atlantic where we don’t have the kind of presence that we want and should,”